a_chinn There are seeds of a good film here in a story about a man, The Monkees' Micky Dolenz, who disowns his sister after learning she is pregnant with boyfriend's baby because her boyfriend is black. The sister is later found murdered, which leads Dolenz and a black priest to investigate the murder, which has been disguised as a suicide, trying to find an individual with a peace-sign belt buckle who they suspect is the culprit. There could have been some interesting commentaries on race relations with this kind of a set-up, but the film is basically a cash grab exploiting the real-life Boston Strangler, who still at-large, and following a big budget Hollywood production a few years before about the Boston Strangler. Never mind that no characters are actually strangled and the story has nothing to do with that case. It's a super cheap production without any real scares or suspense, so there's not a lot to recommend outside of the novelty value of seeing Micky Dolenz is a very un-Monkees-like role. Well, he is still a bit of a 1960s hipster/hippie, but he plays a much darker character than his Monkees Micky character. Overall, "The Night of the Strangler" is a forgettable quickie low-budget picture that offers a darker role for Micky Dolenz, but is a missed opportunity for murder mystery about race relations.

Woodyanders Arrogant and intolerant racist Dan (well played to the hateful hilt by James Ralston) throws his sister Denise (an excellent portrayal by Susan McCullough) out on the street after Susan informs Dan that she's romantically involved with a black man. In the wake of Susan being murdered by a mysterious killer, her more sympathetic younger brother Vance (a fine and engaging performance by Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees fame) and black priest Father Jessie (a solid and likable turn by Chuck Patterson) decide to investigate.Director Joy Houck Jr. relates the engrossing story at a steady pace and maintains a tough serious tone throughout. The bold and confrontational script by J.J. Milane, Robert A. Weaver, and Jeffrey Newton offers an intriguing, incisive, and provocative commentary on the severe damage wrought by both racism and familial dysfunction. The sound acting by the capable cast holds this picture together: Michael Anthony as the hard-nosed Lt. De Vivo, Warren Kenner as vengeful gardener Willie, Ann Barrett as Dan's sweet wife Carol, Katie Tilley as Vance's concerned girlfriend Ann, Ed Brown as pesky lawyer Jack Markam, and Harold Sylvester as De Vivo's hip wisecracking partner Jim Bunch. 70's exploitation cinema regular Patrick Wright pops up in a small role as a long-haired hippie hit-man. The killer's actual identity and motive are genuinely surprising. The groovy organ score by Jim Helms hits the right-on happening spot. Dennis J. Cipnic's rough cinematography provides an appropriately grainy look. Worth a watch.

EyeAskance Probably the most well-rounded film I've seen from thriftbudget auteur Joy N. Houk, NIGHT OF THE STRANGLER touches on Southern U.S. racial tensions in an otherwise boilerplate whodunit which some may regard as a slasher genre prototype(take note that the "strangler" of the title kills in a variety of ways...none of which are by strangling!). The story in play recounts two at-odds brothers imputing one another in the suspicious deaths of their interracially intimate(and pregnant) sister and her lover. Roused suspicions result in more killings and a muster of potential offenders as the mystery snowballs to a sufficing, though slightly deflating, "surprise" denouement.While the film never really manages to camouflage its third-string foundations, it works well enough as basal entertainment despite a few flat stretches and uneven scripting(and it features a fun go-go groovy psychedelic opening theme played on some old Farfisa-type organ). MONKEES bandmember Micky Dolenz provides a satisfactory performance, and the rest of the cast follows suit(although, to no derogation of the performers, their roles aren't exactly what one might call "demanding").A tenantable B film for the general votary of secondary 70s cinema, though far from a crucial one. 5/10

zombie2 The biggest reason I had for wanting to see this film is the fact that it stars Micky Dolenz of the Monkees. As anyone could tell by watching it, Night of the Strangler is pretty low-budget but has a good (and, for 1972, very controversial) plot. It centers around a white girl who falls in love with and gets pregnant by a black man. When the two are mysteriously killed, the investigation focuses on the girl's two brothers, Vance, who is kind and was supportive of his sister, and Dan, an arrogant racist who would rather have seen his sister have an abortion than have a black man's baby. A black priest who tries to console the two brothers throughout the film also adds to the increasingly obvious tension. Sort of a "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" meets "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane." A really good film if you're lucky enough to find at your local video store.